Cotton Ginning Days has come a long way in 30 years

Community festivals had yet to become all the rage more than three decades ago, when a group of Gaston County men conceived an idea for such a thing in Dallas.

They envisioned a gathering that would not only bring people together, but do so in the name of preserving the region’s rich textile heritage. And their brainchild, Cotton Ginning Days, is poised to celebrate its 30th anniversary here from Friday, Oct. 13, through Sunday, Oct. 15.

Organizers say the beloved event in the second weekend of October annually attracts some 25,000 people over its three-day run, while showcasing restored steam and gasoline engines and demonstrations of blacksmithing, pottery and more. It is put together by the Gaston Agricultural, Mechanical, and Textile Restoration Association, which launched it in 1987, and Gaston County Parks and Recreation.

GAMTRA President Jeff Hovis said with each passing year, it gains even more meaning to people who remember its humble beginnings.

“To me, it’s an opportunity to get away from the everyday hustle and bustle, and see how much harder things were 50 and 100 years ago when some of this equipment was used,” he said. “You had to work a lot harder to get what you needed then, but it was a lot simpler time.”

Putting old technology to use

The textile industry had already begun to see momentous change by the mid-1980s, foreshadowing the sweeping transformation that has followed in the time since then.

Wary of how fast the old ways of doing things were being swept under the rug, a number of local residents found inspiration in preservation.

“GAMTRA started out as a club – a group of men who wanted to preserve our heritage, and the way things used to be,” Hovis said.

Gaston County’s numerous textile mills at one time decades ago made it one of the most influential forces in the textile industry. By 1985, a lot of the technology of the early- to mid-20th century had become obsolete. But much of it was sitting in barns, sheds and elsewhere on farms around the area.

“These men still had a lot of the old engines, equipment and tractors that had been used,” said Hovis. “They didn’t want to just put it in a museum. So they got together and decided to use it to educate our youth on the way things used to be.”

What started with a handful of exhibitors and demonstrations began to grow exponentially, particularly once the county recreation department got involved.

A tradition like no other

The highlight of the festival each year is the operational, single-stand Continental cotton gin that was manufactured in 1900, and is still going strong. Cotton is picked from fields in Lincoln County every fall and brought to Dallas, where it is ginned in the time-tested machine, to the fascination and delight of onlookers.

Elsewhere in the Heritage Arts Village, there will be an endless variety of old engines and machinery on display, doing what it was all originally intended to do. Restored tractors from the 1930s through the 1960s will be there in abundance. And there will be soap and candle making, and more than 75 artisans selling handmade arts and crafts.

“It’s a way to see working history. It’s really history in motion,” said Hovis, whose father, Larry Hovis, was an early member of GAMTRA. “You can actually see how blacksmiths worked and how these engines accomplished things.”

Plenty to do

Beyond the demonstrations, other festival staples will make Cotton Ginning Days stand out as it always does.

Live music on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 14 and 15, will highlight traditional bluegrass and folk music featuring The Carolina Blue Band, The Cockman Family, Whitewater Bluegrass, Caroline Keller, Old State Travelers, Trent Glisson and Charles Walker.

The Kid’s County Fair will have mechanical rides, bounce house obstacle courses and carnival games. Hours for the rides will be 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

As always, admission and parking will be free, and a free shuttle will run from Gaston College to the festival on Saturday and Sunday.

Hovis said the fact that this is the 30th anniversary won’t be lost on anyone.

“It’s an event that means a lot to a lot of different people,” he said.

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.